Systems and methods for resolving a hand of blackjack that results in a push

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for resolving a hand of blackjack played by a player. If it is determined that the hand of blackjack has resulted in a push, then it is determined if the player has won the hand of blackjack based on a random outcome. For example, a dealer may receive from the player an indication of a wager amount associated with a hand of blackjack. The hand of blackjack may then be played according to traditional rules. If it is determined that the hand has resulted in a push, an indication of a random outcome may be received. The random outcome may be, for example, statistically independent of the hand of blackjack. Based on the random outcome, it is determined if the player has won the hand of blackjack. If the player has won, he or she receives payment of a winning amount based on the wager amount.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/187,259 filed Mar. 6, 2000. The entire contentof this application is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present invention relates to the game of blackjack. In particular,the present invention relates to systems and methods for resolving ahand of blackjack that results in a push.

BACKGROUND

Blackjack is one of the most popular table games among players who visitcasinos. One reason for blackjack's popularity is its simplicity. Aplayer places a wager of a wager amount and competes against a dealer byaccumulating playing cards. The party (i.e., the dealer or the player)that accumulates cards having the highest numerical total, withoutexceeding twenty-one, wins the hand of blackjack. When determining atotal, face cards are counted as ten, and an ace can be counted aseither a one or an eleven.

When a party has two cards that total twenty-one (e.g., an ace and aqueen), he or she has a “natural” which will always win unless the otherparty also has a natural. That is, a player who has an ace and a queen(for a total of twenty-one) will win against a dealer who has a nine, aseven and a three (also for a total of twenty-one). A player whoaccumulates cards having a total greater than twenty-one (e.g., a nine,an eight, and a six) always loses, even if the dealer also accumulatescards having a total greater than twenty-one. A further discussion ofblackjack rules can be found in Stanford Wong, “Professional Blackjack”(1994).

The winning party receives payment of a winning amount based on thewager amount. For example, if a player loses, he or she may providepayment of the wager amount to the dealer. Similarly, if the playerwins, he or she may retain the original wager amount and receive anadditional payment of an amount equal to the wager amount from thedealer. In the case of a winning natural, the player may receive alarger wining amount (e.g., payment of an amount equal to one and a halftimes the wager amount).

The rules traditionally used to play blackjack, however, have adisadvantageous feature. In particular, approximately 8.7% of all handswill result in a tie between the player and the dealer (depending inpart on a player's behavior), also known as a “push.” For example, boththe dealer and the player may accumulate cards having a total ofnineteen. Similarly, both the dealer and the player may have a natural.In such cases, neither the dealer nor the player win and no moneychanges hands.

A casino is not satisfied when a blackjack hand results in a push,because such a result represents a lost opportunity for the casino. Thatis, every push provides no profit for the casino. If the number ofpushes could be reduced or eliminated, the amount of profit that couldbe made by the casino would increase (assuming that the odds of winningthe blackjack hand are statistically in the casino's favor).

A player may also not be satisfied when a hand of blackjack results in apush. The lack of a winning result, or even a losing result, may reducethe player's excitement and interest in the game.

In a “Push Your Luck” blackjack game, a player can place a side wager,before a hand of blackjack is played, betting that the hand will resultin a push. If the blackjack hand does result in a push, the player winsthe side wager (e.g., wins an amount based on the side wager, the numberof hands being played, and/or a random number generator).

The Push Your Luck system, however, also has a number of disadvantages.For example, the side wager does not resolve the hand of blackjackitself. In addition, a player must place the side wager prior to playingthe hand of blackjack, and many players may be unwilling to do so.Moreover, having a separate wager may complicate and slow down the game,reducing one of the reasons why blackjack is so popular. Anotherdisadvantage is that a player may change the way he or she plays thegame (e.g., by accumulating additional cards) to increase the chance ofachieving a push. For example, a player may attempt to keep track ofwhich playing cards remain in the deck (i.e., by “counting cards”) toincrease his or her chances of winning the side wager.

A need exists, therefore, for systems and methods to resolve a hand ofblackjack that results in a push.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To alleviate problems inherent in the prior art, the present inventionintroduces systems and methods for resolving a hand of blackjack thatresults in a push.

In one embodiment of the present invention, it is determined that a handof blackjack has resulted in a push. Based on a random outcome, it isdetermined if a player has won the hand of blackjack.

Another embodiment of the present invention comprises means fordetermining that a hand of blackjack has resulted in a push and meansfor determining if a player has won the hand of blackjack based on arandom outcome.

With these and other advantages and features of the invention that willbecome hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be moreclearly understood by reference to the following detailed description ofthe invention, the appended claims and the several drawings attachedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a blackjack table and associatedcomponents according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram overview of a controller according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a tabular representation of a winning amount databaseaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for resolving ahand of blackjack that results in a push. Referring in detail to thedrawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a blackjack table 100 andassociated components according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the blackjack table 100 accommodates a dealer 10 anda number of players 20. A dealer device 12 is located adjacent to thedealer 10, and a number of player devices 22 are located adjacent to theplayers 20. Although only a single dealer device 12 is shown in FIG. 1,it will be understood that any number of dealer devices 12 (e.g.,associated with any number of blackjack tables 100) may be used inaccordance with the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dealer 10 usesthe dealer device 12 to resolve a hand of blackjack that results in apush. As will be explained, the dealer 10 may instead use other methods(e.g., performed with a coin, a pair of dice, or a roulette-style wheel)to resolve the push according to the present invention.

The dealer device 12 includes a dealer input device 14 that the dealer10 may use to initiate a random outcome (e.g., an outcome used todetermine if a player 20 wins or loses). The dealer input device 14 maycomprise, for example, a button, a microphone, and/or a sensor (e.g., acamera or a bar code reader) capable of determining numerical totals ofaccumulated playing cards associated with the dealer 10 and/or theplayer 20. One example of a commercially available device that mayfunction as a dealer input device 14 is the SCANJACK® dealer cardscanner available from Peripheral Dynamics, Inc.®

The dealer device 12 also includes a dealer output device 16 to indicatethe random outcome to the dealer 10 and/or the player 20 (e.g., a “W” ifthe player 20 wins or an “L” if the player 20 loses). The dealer outputdevice 16 may comprise, for example, a video monitor, a speaker, and/ora Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) device.

The dealer device 12 and the player devices 22 are in communication witha controller 200. As used herein, devices (such as the dealer device 12,the player devices 22, and/or the controller 200) may communicate, forexample, via a dedicated connection or via a communication network, suchas a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), or an Internet Protocol (IP) networksuch as the Internet, an intranet or an extranet. Moreover, as usedherein, communications include those enabled by wired and/or wirelesstechnology. Also note that devices may communicate with each otherwithout being in constant communication.

In general, the controller 200 may be any device capable of performingmethods in accordance with the present invention, such as a PersonalComputer (PC). Note that any of the dealer device 12, the player devices22, and/or the controller 200 may be incorporated in a single device(e.g., the dealer device 12 may also serve as the controller 200).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when a blackjackhand between the dealer 10 and a player 20 results in a push (e.g., bothaccumulated cards having a total of nineteen), the dealer 10 mayactivate the dealer input device 14 on the dealer device 12. The dealerdevice 12 may then, for example, communicate with the controller 200 torequest a random outcome. The controller 200 may transmit an indicationof the random outcome to the dealer device 12, which in turn displaysthe random outcome via the dealer output device 16.

By having the dealer 10 operate a simple dealer device 12 to resolve ahand of blackjack, the game may proceed quickly and the process can beseamlessly incorporated into normal casino play at the blackjack table100.

In another embodiment, each player 20 uses his or her own player device22 to resolve a hand of blackjack that results in a push. The playerdevices 22 may be, for example, built into the blackjack table 100 neareach player's seat. In this case, a player 20 who achieves a push mayuse the player device 22 to generate a random outcome (e.g., by sendinga request to the controller 200).

According to another embodiment, the player device 22 is a portablecomputing device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), that theplayer 20 can bring to the blackjack table 100. In general, the playerdevice 22 may be any device capable of performing the functionsdescribed herein, including any communication or storage device (e.g., amagnetic strip card or a smart card).

An example of a controller 200 that may be used in connection with theblackjack table 100 will now be described in detail with respect to FIG.2.

FIG. 2 illustrates a controller 200 that is descriptive of the deviceshown in FIG. 1. According to an embodiment of the present invention,the controller 200 comprises a processor 210, such as one or more INTEL®Pentium® processors, coupled to a communication device 220 configured tocommunicate through a communication network (not shown in FIG. 2). Thecommunication device 220 may be used to communicate, for example, withone or more dealer devices 12, and/or one or more player devices 22.

The controller 200 also includes a random result device 240, such as arandom number generator. By way of example, the random result device 240may be a five-bit random number generator that randomly outputs a resultfrom zero (i.e., a binary 00000) to thirty one (i.e., a binary 11111).

The processor 210 is also in communication with a storage device 230.The storage device 230 may comprise any appropriate information storagedevice, including magnetic storage devices (e.g., magnetic tape and harddisk drives), optical storage devices, and/or semiconductor memorydevices such as Random Access Memory (RAM) devices and Read Only Memory(ROM) devices.

The storage device 230 stores a program 215 for controlling theprocessor 210. The processor 210 performs instructions of the program215, and thereby operates in accordance with the present invention. Forexample, the processor 210 may determine that a hand of blackjack hasresulted in a push (e.g., by receiving a signal from the dealer device12 or the player device 22) and, based on a random outcome, determine ifa player 20 has won the hand of blackjack.

The program 215 may be stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/orencrypted format. The program 215 furthermore includes program elements,such as an operating system, a database management system, and/or“device drivers” used by the processor 210 to interface with peripheraldevices. Appropriate program elements are known to those skilled in theart.

Note that the processor 210 and the storage device 230 may be, forexample, (i) located entirely within a single computer or othercomputing device or (ii) located in separate devices coupled through acommunication channel. In one embodiment, the controller 200 comprisesone or more computers that are connected to a remote database server.

As used herein, information may be “received” by or “transmitted” to,for example, (i) the controller 200 from a dealer device 12 or a playerdevice 22 or (ii) a software application or module within the controller200 from another software application, module or any other source.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage device 230 also stores a winning amountdatabase 300. An example of a winning amount database 300 that may beused in connection with the controller 200 will now be described indetail with respect to FIG. 3. The schematic illustration andaccompanying description of the winning amount database 300 presentedherein is exemplary, and any number of other database arrangements maybe used instead.

Referring to FIG. 3, a table represents one embodiment of the winningamount database 300 that may be stored at the controller 200 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. The information in thewinning amount database 300 may be created and updated, for example,based on information received from an operator of a casino.

The table includes entries identifying one or more random outcomes. Inparticular, the winning amount database 300 shown in FIG. 3 illustratesrandom outputs 302 generated by a five-bit random result device 240(e.g., representing the numbers 0 through 31).

The winning amount database 300 also defines a corresponding winningamount 304 for each random output 302. The winning amount 304 indicatesa percentage of a player's wager amount that should be paid to theplayer 20 (including the player's original wager amount). A negativepercentage (i.e., as illustrated by the first entry of the winningamount database 300) indicates that the player 20 should instead providea payment to the dealer 10.

For example, consider a player 20 who places a $20 wager at a blackjacktable 100. The dealer 10 and the player 20 then play a hand of blackjackuntil a push results. In this case, if the random output 302 is “15” andthe player 20 provides a payment of $20 to the dealer 10. If the randomoutput 302 is “29” the player 20 receives a payment of $60 (i.e., 300%of the $20 wager amount), which includes the player's original wageramount, from the dealer 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the winning amount table 300 may be arranged suchthat the dealer 10 (i.e., the casino) retains a statistical advantageover the player 20. Table I illustrates the expected value associatedwith each of the winning amounts 304 to a player 20 who places a onedollar wager.

TABLE I Expected Values Associated With a One Dollar Wager AmountWinning Random Output Amount Expected Value  0-21 −100%   (22/32) *(−1.00) = −0.68750  22-27 100% (6/32) * (1.00) = 0.18750 28 200%(1/32) * (2.00) = 0.06250 29 300% (1/32) * (3.00) = 0.09375 30 400%(1/32) * (4.00) = 0.12500 31 500% (1/32) * (5.00) = 0.15625 TotalExpected Value = −0.06250As shown in Table I, the winning amounts 304 defined in the winningamount database 300 give the dealer 10 a 6.25% advantage over the player20. In this way, the casino will, over time, earn a profit on hands ofblackjack that result in a push.

The random outputs 302 and/or the winning amounts 304 may be modified inany number of ways (e.g., by increasing the winning amounts 304) toadjust the dealer's advantage, or even to remove the advantage or togive the advantage to the player 20.

Other factors may also be used to determine the winning amount 304. Forexample, a higher wining amount 304 may be awarded based on the numberof hands being played, and/or the particular playing cards accumulatedby the dealer 10 or the player 20 (e.g., the winning amount 304 may beincreased if the player 20 has a natural or if the player 20 accumulatedcards having a total of twenty). According to another embodiment,information associated with the player 20 is used to determine thewinning amounts 304 (e.g., increased winning amounts 304 may be providedto new players or to frequent players).

As can be seen, FIG. 3 depicts a database in which data is organized ina data structure in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The data structure includes a random output data object(e.g., the random output 302) representing a random output; and awinning amount data object (e.g., the winning amount 304) accessiblefrom the random output data object and representing (i) whether ablackjack hand that results in a push will be won by a player 20, and(ii) a winning amount that may be paid to the player 20.

Methods that may be used according an embodiments of the presentinvention will now be described in detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method which may be performed, for example,by the controller 200 to resolve a hand of blackjack according to anembodiment of the present invention. The flow chart in FIG. 4, as wellas the other flow charts discussed herein, does not imply a fixed orderto the steps, and embodiments of the present invention can be practicedin any order that is practicable.

At 402, a hand of blackjack is played until a preliminary result isdetermined. For example, the dealer 10 may receive from a player 20 anindication of a wager amount associated with the hand of blackjack. Thedealer 10 and the player 20 then accumulate playing cards according tothe traditional rules (e.g., including any casino rules). Thepreliminary result (i.e., the result prior to resolving any push) may bethat the dealer 10 wins, the player 20 wins, or neither the dealer 10nor the player 20 wins (i.e., a push).

At 404, it is determined if the hand of blackjack has resulted in apush. If the hand has not resulted in a push (i.e., if the dealer 10 orthe player 20 have won according to the traditional rules of blackjack),the process continues to 405, where it is determined whether the playerwins. If the player does win, at 407 it is arranged for the player toreceive payment of a winning amount based on a wager amount. If it isdetermined at 405 that the player does not win, the process ends.

If it is determined that the hand of blackjack has resulted in a push at404, at 409 it is determined whether the push is to be resolved. If thepush is not to be resolved, the process ends. If the push is to beresolved, a random outcome process is initiated at 406. The randomoutcome process may be initiated, for example, using the dealer device12 or the player device 22.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the player 20is allowed to decide whether or not the push will be resolved (i.e., theplayer 20 may decide that the hand will remain a tie and no money willbe exchanged). According to another embodiment, the dealer 10 decideswhether or not the push will be resolved (e.g., based on casino rules).For example, a casino rule may indicate that a blackjack hand will notbe resolved if two naturals resulted in a push.

At 408, the random outcome is determined. This may comprise, forexample, receiving the random outcome, such as an outcome that isstatistically independent of the hand of blackjack that was played priorto the push, from the controller 200. According to one embodiment, therandom outcome is determined before the hand of blackjack resulted in apush. For example, the controller 200 may use a stored list ofpre-generated random numbers to resolve the hand of blackjack. In thiscase, the pre-generated random outcome may be concealed from the player20 until a push has been determined.

According to another embodiment, the random outcome is not received fromthe controller 200. For example, the random outcome may be generatedusing at least one die (e.g., the dealer 10 and/or the player 20 mayroll a pair of dice). According to another embodiment, the dealer 10and/or the player 20 use a coin to generate the random outcome (i.e., byflipping the coin). Similarly, a rotating wheel (e.g., a roulette-stylewheel) may be used by the dealer 10 and/or the player 20 to generate therandom outcome.

According to one embodiment, a set of playing cards (e.g., a deck ofplaying cards) are used to determine the random outcome. The set ofplaying cards may be, for example, the same deck of playing cards usedin the hand of blackjack. For example, the dealer may simply select thenext playing card from the deck to generate a random outcome. Accordingto another embodiment, a different the set of playing cards is usedinstead.

At 410, the random outcome is converted to a winning amount. This maycomprise, for example, simply determining if the player 20 has won thehand of blackjack. That is, the random outcome may have a first stateindicating that the player 20 has won and a second state indicating thatthe player 20 has lost. For example, if the random outcome was generatedusing a coin, a “heads” may indicate that the player 20 has won and a“tails” may indicate that the player 20 has lost. In this case, thewinning amount may be determined using, for example, the traditionalrules of blackjack (e.g., the player 20 may win an amount based on hisor her wager amount).

According to another embodiment, the random outcome has a plurality ofstates, and at least two of the plurality of states are associated withdifferent winning amounts. For example, the winning amount database 300may indicate that the player 20 has won an amount based on 200% or 300%of the wager amount.

At 412, compensation is distributed between the dealer 10 and the player20 based on the winning amount. For example, the dealer 10 may arrangefor the player 20 to receive payment of a winning amount when the playerhas been determined to be the winner of the hand (i.e., the push isresolved in favor of the player 20). The winning amount may be based on,for example, the wager amount, the random outcome, informationassociated with the player 20 (e.g., demographic information), a time ofday, a time of year (e.g., higher winning amounts may be provided duringa special casino promotion) and/or at least one card accumulated by thedealer 10 or the player 20 during the hand of blackjack.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating another method according to anembodiment of the present invention. At 502, a signal to generate awinning amount is received. For example, the dealer 10 may use thedealer input device 14 to send the signal to the controller 200.Similarly, the player 20 may use the player device 22 to send the signalto the controller 200.

At 504, a random number generator is initiated. For example, theprocessor 210 in the controller 200 may initiate the random resultdevice 240. At 506, a random number is determined, such as a randomnumber determined based on a signal received from the five-bit randomresult device 240.

A winning amount is retrieved at 508 based on the random number. Forexample, the processor 210 may access the winning amount database 300 todetermine the winning amount (e.g., 300% of a wager amount). The winningamount is then displayed to the dealer 10 and/or the player 20 at 510.For example, the winning amount may be displayed via the dealer display16 or the player device 22. The dealer 10 may use then displayed winningamount to pay the player 20 (e.g., by paying the player 300% of his orher wager amount).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating another method according to anembodiment of the present invention. At 602a game of blackjack is playeduntil a preliminary amendment is determined. At 604 it is determinedwhether a hand of blackjack resulted in a push. If the hand of blackjackhas not resulted in a push, at 605 it is determined whether a player haswon the hand. If a player has won the hand, at 607 it is arranged forthe player to receive payment of a winning amount based on a wageramount. If the player has not won the hand, the process ends.

If it is determined at 604 that the hand of blackjack has resulted in apush, at 609 it is determined whether the push is to be resolved. If thepush is not to be resolved, the process ends. If the push is to beresolved, at 606 a random process is initiated. Step 606 is analogous tostep 406 and need not further be described herein. At 608 a randomoutcome is determined, wherein the random outcome is statisticallyindependent of the hand of blackjack played prior to the push. At 610the random outcome is converted to a winning amount. Step 610 isanalogous to step 410, described above with respect to FIG. 4, and neednot be further described. At 612, compensation is distributed betweenthe dealer and the player based on the winning amount. Step 612 isanalogous to step 412, described with reference to FIG. 4, and need notbe further described.

ADDITIONAL EMBODIMENTS

The following are several examples which illustrate various embodimentsof the present invention. These examples do not constitute a definitionof all possible embodiments, and those skilled in the art willunderstand that the present invention is applicable to many otherembodiments. Further, although the following examples are brieflydescribed for clarity, those skilled in the art will understand how tomake any changes, if necessary, to the above-described apparatus andmethods to accommodate these and other embodiments and applications.

According to one embodiment, a random outcome is used to resolve aplurality of hands of blackjack played by a player 20 that have resultedin a push. In this case, a single random outcome may determine if theplayer 20 has won all of the hands that resulted in a push, or aseparate random outcome may determine if the player 20 has won each ofthose hands of blackjack. Note that the plurality of hands may have beenplayed at the same time or over a period of time. For example, all of aplayer's wager amounts associated with pushes may be accumulated duringa gaming session. At the end of the session, the player 20 rolls a pairof dice to determine if he or she will win an amount based on theaccumulated wager amounts.

According to another embodiment, a random outcome is used to resolve aplurality of hands of blackjack, played by a plurality of players 20respectively, that have resulted in a push. In this case, a singlerandom outcome may determine if all of the players 20 have won. Forexample, a number of players 20 at a blackjack table 100 may haveachieved a push at the same time. In this case, a single random outcome(e.g., a single coin toss) may be used to resolve all of those hands.According to another embodiment, a separate random outcome may determineif each of the players 20 have won his or her hand.

According to one embodiment, a hand of blackjack is resolved withoutusing the dealer device 12, the player device 22, or the controller 200.For example, the dealer 10 may simply view a player's cards to determinethat the hand of blackjack has resulted in a push. The player 20 maythen spin a wheel to generate a random outcome that will be used todetermine if the player 20 has won the hand.

According to another embodiment, the game of blackjack itself is playedon an electronic device (e.g., the playing cards may be represented byimages on a video terminal). In this case, the electronic device maygenerate the random outcome used to resolve the hand of blackjack or maycommunicate with the controller 200 to receive the random outcome.

According to another embodiment, the player 20 plays the game ofblackjack over a communication network. For example, the player 20 mayuse his or her PC to communicate with a remote, Web-based game server(e.g., a sever operated by an on-line casino). In this case, theplayer's PC and/or the game server may generate the random outcome usedto resolve the hand of blackjack.

According to another embodiment, a determination if the player has wonthe hand of blackjack and/or a winning amount is based on a game ofskill played by the player 20.

The present invention has been described in terms of several embodimentssolely for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled in the art willrecognize from this description that the invention is not limited to theembodiments described, but may be practiced with modifications andalterations limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method of resolving a hand of blackjack played by a player,comprising: playing a hand in a game of blackjack, which includesdealing a first set of accumulated cards to a player, and dealing asecond set of accumulated cards to a dealer, wherein the first set ofaccumulated cards and the second set of accumulated cards togethercomprise a first random outcome; determining that the hand of blackjackhas resulted in a push; in response to said determining, generating anadditional random outcome; displaying an indication of the additionalrandom outcome to the player; based on said additional random outcome,determining if the player has won the hand of blackjack; wherein saidrandom outcome is statistically independent of said hand of blackjackplayed prior to said push; determining, based on the additional randomoutcome, which of a plurality of possible winning amounts the player haswon if the additional random outcome results in the player winning thehand of blackjack; and providing, to the player, the winning amount theplayer has won.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivingfrom the player an indication of a wager amount associated with the handof blackjack, said receiving being performed prior to said determiningthat the hand of blackjack resulted in the push; and wherein providingcomprises after said determining if the player has won the hand ofblackjack, arranging for the player to receive payment of one of a theplurality of winning amounts based on the wager amount.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: deciding if the push will be resolved. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein said deciding comprises: after saiddetermining that the hand of blackjack has resulted in the push,receiving from the player an indication of whether the push will beresolved.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: initiating arandom outcome generator; and receiving an indication of the randomoutcome.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating therandom outcome.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating isperformed after said determining that the hand of blackjack has resultedin the push.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said generating isperformed in response to said determining that the hand of blackjack hasresulted in the push.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said generatingis performed prior to said determining that the hand of blackjack hasresulted in the push.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein said generatingis performed using at least one die.
 11. The method of claim 6, whereinsaid generating is performed using a coin.
 12. The method of claim 6,wherein said generating is performed using a random number generator.13. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating is performed using arotating wheel.
 14. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating isperformed using a set of playing cards.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the set of playing cards comprises a set other than a set ofplaying cards used in the hand of blackjack.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein the winning amount of the plurality of winning amounts is basedat least in part on the additional random outcome.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising: displaying the one winning amount of theplurality of winning amounts to the player.
 18. The method of claim 1,wherein the winning amount of the plurality of winning amounts is basedat least in part on at least one of: (i) information associated with theplayer, and (ii) at least one card accumulated by the player or a dealerin the hand of blackjack.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein theadditional random outcome has a plurality of states, at least two of theplurality of states being associated with different winning amounts. 20.A method of resolving a plurality of hands of blackjack played by aplayer, comprising: determining that a first hand of card game hasresulted in a first push; determining that a second hand of the cardgame has resulted in a second push; based on a random outcome,determining if the player has won the first and second hands ofblackjack, wherein an indication of the random outcome is displayed tothe player, and wherein the random outcome is statistically independentof the first hand and the second hand of blackjack played prior to thefirst push and second push; determining, based on the random number,which of a plurality of possible winning amounts the player has won ifit is determined, based on the random number, that the player has wonthe first and second hands of the card game; and providing, to theplayer, the winning amount the player has won.
 21. The method of claim20, wherein the second hand of the card game is played after saiddetermining that the first hand of the card game has resulted in thefirst push.
 22. A method of determining a winner in a hand of blackjackplayed by a player, comprising: receiving an indication that the hand ofblackjack has resulted in a push; transmitting, via a communicationnetwork and to a processing device located at a blackjack table at whichthe hand of blackjack resulted in a push, a random outcome in responseto said receiving, the random outcome determining if the player has wonthe hand of blackjack; and causing, if the player has won the hand ofblackjack, a winning amount to be provided to the player.
 23. The methodof claim 22, wherein the processing device is a device operated by adealer of the blackjack table.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein theprocessing device is a device operated by the player.
 25. The method ofclaim 22, wherein different possible random outcomes each correspond toone of a plurality of possible winning amounts, such that thetransmitted random outcome is further determinative of which one of theplurality of winning amounts the player has won as a result of therandom outcome.
 26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:determining, based on the random outcome, a winning amount that theplayer has won.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:determining an adjusted winning amount, wherein the adjusted winningamount is determined by adjusting the winning amount based on at leastone of (i) a number of hands played, (ii) particular cards accumulatedby at least one of the dealer and the player, and (iii) informationassociated with the player; and authorizing the adjusted winning amountto be provided to the player.
 28. A method of resolving a hand ofblackjack, comprising: receiving from a player an indication of a wageramount associated with the hand of blackjack; determining that the handof blackjack has resulted in a push; in response to said determiningthat the hand of blackjack has resulted in the push, initiating a randomoutcome generator of a processing device associated with a table atwhich the hand of blackjack is being played; receiving, from theprocessing device, an indication of a random outcome, the random outcomebeing statistically independent of the hand of blackjack played prior tothe push; based on the random outcome, determining if the player has wonthe hand of blackjack; displaying to the player an indication of atleast one of (i) the random outcome and (ii) the determination if theplayer has won the hand of blackjack; and arranging for the player toreceive payment of a winning amount based on the wager amount.
 29. Themethod of claim 28, wherein the processing device is a device operatedby a dealer of the blackjack table.
 30. The method of claim 28, whereinthe processing device is a device operated by the player.
 31. The methodof claim 28, wherein different possible random outcomes each correspondto one of a plurality of possible winning amounts, such that thereceived indication of the random outcome is further determinative ofwhich one of the plurality of winning amounts the player has won as aresult of the random outcome.
 32. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising: determining, based on the random outcome, a winning amountthat the player has won.
 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:determining an adjusted winning amount, wherein the adjusted winningamount is determined by adjusting the winning amount based on at leastone of (i) a number of hands played, (ii) particular cards accumulatedby at least one of the dealer and the player, and (iii) informationassociated with the player; and causing the adjusted winning amount tobe provided to the player.
 34. A method of resolving a hand ofblackjack, comprising: determining that the hand of blackjack hasresulted in a push; in response to said determining that the hand ofblackjack has resulted in the push, initiating a random outcomegenerator of a processing device associated with a table at which thehand of blackjack is being played; receiving, from the processingdevice, an indication of a random outcome, the random outcome beingstatistically independent of the hand of blackjack played prior to thepush; based on the random outcome, determining if a player has won thehand of blackjack; displaying to the player an indication of at leastone of (i) the random outcome and (ii) the determination if the playerhas won the hand of blackjack; and arranging for the player to receivepayment of a winning amount.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein theprocessing device is a device operated by a dealer of the blackjacktable.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein the processing device is adevice operated by the player.
 37. The method of claim 34, whereindifferent possible random outcomes each correspond to one of a pluralityof possible winning amounts, such that the received indication of therandom outcome is further determinative of which one of the plurality ofwinning amounts the player has won as a result of the random outcome.38. The method of claim 34, further comprising: determining, based onthe random outcome, a winning amount that the player has won.
 39. Themethod of claim 38, further comprising: determining an adjusted winningamount, wherein the adjusted winning amount is determined by adjustingthe winning amount based on at least one of (i) a number of handsplayed, (ii) particular cards accumulated by at least one of the dealerand the player, and (iii) information associated with the player; andcausing the adjusted winning amount to be provided to the player. 40.The method of claim 38, further comprising: determining an adjustedwinning amount, wherein the adjusted winning amount is determined byadjusting the winning amount based on at least one of (i) a number ofhands played, (ii) particular cards accumulated by at least one of thedealer and the player, or (iii) information associated with the player;and causing the adjusted winning amount to be provided to the player.